Electric cigar lighter



l April l5, 1969 G. HORWn-T 3,439,148

ELECTRIC CIGAR LIGHTER Filed Nov. l, 1966 l Ik@ BY 'y y f5 (38 /70 17? 2 #from/@Ys United States Patent O 3,439,148 ELECTRIC CIGAR LIGHTER Laurence G. Horwitt, New Haven, Conn., assigner to Casco Products Corporation, Bridgeport, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Filed Nov. 1, 1966, Ser. No. 591,213 Int. Cl. F23q 7/14 U.S. Cl. 219-265 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates generally to electrically energized cigar lighters, and more particularly to such cigar lighters having improved circuit breaker means for protecting the cigar lighter against the effects of a fault condition in the electric circuit.

In my U.S. Patent No. 3,230,345 granted January 1S, 1966, there is disclosed a cigar lighter having a holder for an igniting unit having circuit breaker means interposed between -a current input terminal adjacent the back or inner end of the holder and heat responsive contact means monuted on a suitable support within the holder, the contact means in the holder making contact with the inner end of the igniting unit when the latter is to be energized andY opening that contact when the igniting unit reaches a normal operating temperature.

In the circuit breaker disclosed in said patent, an axially slidable circuit making and breaking metal plunger has a contact portion for norm-ally completing an electric circuit between a bimetallic heat responsive latching linger electrically connected to an input terminal and the contact means in the holder. The contact portion of the plunger is cylindrical and slides somewhat loosely within a concentric cylindrical eyelet which passes through the support means in the holder and secures the contact means thereto.

While the foregoing construction is highly advantageous in that the outer end of the metal plunger is accessible through the open end of the holder for resetting the circuit breaker, and is -visible to give an indication of Whether the plunger is in closed or open circuit position, it nevertheless suffers the disadvantage that the electric circuit bet-Ween the input terminal on the back of the holder and the contact means in the holder is dependent, either directly or indirectly, upon a somewhat loose sliding contact between two metal elongate surfaces. Such contact in an electric circuit is undesirable because it tends toward arcing when a circuit breaker is being reset, thus pitting the metal and inhibiting free sliding movement of the parts. Also, with the elongate concentric circular contact surfaces involved in the above construction, tolerances 'which must be maintained for a smooth sliding fit of the parts permits dirt and other foreign matter to accumulate between the contact surfaces, thereby rendering good electrical contact over a long period of time somewhat uncertain. Further, the arrangement of parts described above requires a relatively complex input terminal mounting means to prevent a short circuit through the circuit breaker housing.

The present invention is directed toward a cigar lighter, of the general type described above, having an improved circuit breaker construction which avoids or substantially eliminates the foregoing disadvantages, and yet retains the advantageous features of the circuit breaker of that cigar lighter. Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a cigarlighter having an improved circuit breaker which is more reliable in operation, longer lasting, and less complex and costly than heretofore known circuit breaker constructions.

Another object is to provide a cigar lighter having a circuit breaker in which loosely sliding elongate metal surface part-s are eliminated fromthe primary electric circuit.

Still another object is to provide 'a cigar lighter having a :circuit breaker in which means accessible through the open end of the holder for resetting the circuit breaker is not in the electric circuit.

Another object is to provide a cigar lighter having a circuit breaker in which spring means normally urging one of the circuit breaker parts toward an open circuit position is utilized as a part of the electric circuit so as to lsimplify the circuit breaker housing construction, as well as to further assure positive electric contact between relatively movable parts.

Still another object -of the present invention is to provide a circuit breaker for a current consuming device in which the circuit breaking parts are contained within ran enclosure which is removably and replaceably electrically connected to the current consuming device.

Other advantages and features of the invention will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a longitudinal cross section of a cigar lighter embodying the present invention with the igniter unit being shown in elevation, the circuit breaker being shown in closed circuit position;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIGURE l, but with the igniter unit removed and with the circuit breaker 'being shown in open circuit position; and

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of an alternate form of circuit breaker housing.

Referring to the drawings, and particularly to FIGURE 1, one embodiment of the present invention comprises a cigar lighter of the type having an igniting unit 10 which is removably supported within a holder 12 which comprises a hollow tube or Well .13 having an open end surrounded by a llange 14. The holder is inserted through an aperture in the instrument panel 16 of an automobile or other suitable mounting surface, .and is secured therein by a clamping sleeve 18 which has a threaded neck 20 engaging a threaded portion 22 on the back end of the holder 12, thereby forcing the outer end of the clamping sleeve against the inner surface of the panel 16.

The igniting unit 10 has a heating coil (not shown) which is contained within a contact cup 24 to which one end of the heating coil is connected. The other end of the heating coil is grounded through the body of the igniting unit 10, the holder 12, and the panel 16.

The holder 12 also includes a support means in the form of an insulating block 26 to which is secured a plurality of bimetallic contact lingers 28 which engage and hold the contact cup 24 of the igniting unit 10 when the latter is to .be energized, and which move in response to heat, when the igniting unit heating coil reaches normal operating temperature to open the circuit to the heating coil.

The contact fingers 28 are connected, as will be described, to a suitable source of current, such as the automobile battery, by means of an input terminal 30 which is carried by the inner end of the holder 12. Intermediate the contact fingers 28 and the input terminal 30 is a circuit breaker 32 located generally as in the manner of the abovementioned patent.

Thus, the circuit breaker is located within a housing defined by the threaded portion 22 of the holder, a wall 34 thereof, and an insulating disc 36 carried by the innermost end of 'the threaded portion 22. The threaded portion also has an integral inturned flange 38 .adjacent the wall 34, and inturned tabs 40 which secure the disc 36 to the threaded portion 22. The threaded portion 22 is secured to the wall 34 by 4means of an eyelet 42 which extends through the insulating block 26, the wall 34 and the flange 38, and has its inner end 44 spun over a fiat disclike portion 46 of the contact fingers 28'.

According to the principles of the present invention, the circuit breaker 32 comprises a movably mounted generally cup-shaped contact member 48 which has a central sleeve portion 50 adapted to fit over an extension 52 of the input terminal 30, thus guiding the contact member 48 for axial movement. A coil spring 54 surrounds the sleeve portion 50 of the contact member 48, and has one end seated in an annular recess 55 in that member, the other end f the spring S4 bearing against a metal washer 56 which in turn contacts a metal retaining member 58 which secures the input terminal 30 to the insulating disc 36.

Although electrical contact may be made between the sleeve portion 50 of the contact member 48 and the extension 52 of the input terminal 30, it is preferable to employ the spring 54 as the primary contact means between these members. To this end the spring is formed as a bimetallic wire having a copper-clad steel core, thus facilitating good electrical contact between the metal washer 56 and the contact member 48, regardless of the position of the latter. If desired, the extension "52 of the input terminal may be formed of a nonconducting material.

The circuit breaker also includes a heat responsive electrically conductive latching means 60 in the form of a pair of opposed bimetallic latching fingers each having a hook portion 62 which engages with a peripheral outwardly protruding lip 64 formed on the radially outwardly free end of the contact member 48. The bimetallic fingers 60 are integral with an apertured disc `66 which surrounds the eyelet 42 in electrically conducting relationship therewith. Between the disc 66 and the fiange 38 there are interposed a metal contact washer 68 and an insulating washer 70 so that when the inner end 72 of the eyelet is spun over, the assembled parts, comprising the disc 66, the metal washer 68, the insulating washer 70, the flange 38, the wall 34, the insulating block 26, and the disc portion 46 of the Contact fingers 28, will all be secured together in axial alignment, and the latching fingers 60 will be electrically connected to the contact fingers 28 and insulated from the holder 12 and the threaded portion 22.

If, in the operation of the cigar lighter, a fault condition occurs which causes the heating coil of the igniting unit to heat excessively, the heat is transferred through the eyelet 42 and the apertured disc 66 to the bimetallic fingers 60. This causes the fingers to move radially ontwardly so that the hook portions 62 will move away from the lip 64 to release the contact member 48 for movement toward the wall portion 13 of the holder 12. This causes the lip 64 to move out of electrical contact with the hook portions 62 of the fingers 60 to vbreak the circuit between the input terminal and the contact fingers 28 in the well. This position of the parts is illustrated in FIG. 2 of the drawings.

The fault condition which causes the foregoing operation Imay be either ian overheating condition of the igniting unit heating coil or a short circuit which causes an excessive amount of current to flow through the bimetallic fingers 60, thereby causing them to overheat and move outwardly as described.

In order to reset the circuit breaker after removal of a fault condition which has caused the circuit breaker to operate, a reset pin is axially slidably received within the eyelet 42, the reset pin 8l) having an annular abutment surface 82 adapted to abut the spun over end 72 of the eyelet to limit the amount of axial movement of the reset pin in the direction of urging of the spring 54. The reset pin also has'an axially extending annular protrusion 84 which is shaped to seat on a ledge 86 of the contact member 48 so as to be moved thereby when the circuit breaker operates to move the contact member 48 to its open circuit position, as seen in FIG. 2.

A feature of the present invention is that the reset pin 88 is made of a ceramic material so that it effectively insulates the contact member 48 from the eyelet 42 and assures that the only circuit from one to the other is through the latch engaging bimetallic fingers 60.

The end of the reset pin 80 adjacent the well 13 is provided with a depression 88 adapted to receive the pointed end 90 of a wooden stick 92 or other suitable instrument which can be inserted into the well through the open end thereof to reset the circuit breaker as illustrated in FIG. 2.

A significant improvement of this invention resides in the relative placement of the movable contact ,member 48 and the bimetallic latching means 6i) of the circuit breaker. By fixedly mounting the bimetallic latching means 6i) in direct contact with the contact fingers 28 in the well 13, and by providing for direct contact of the movable contact member 48 with the input terminal 30, a simplified and less costly housing construction is achieved. This is because the spring 54 employed to operate the circuit breaker in response to movement of the bimetallic latching fingers need not be insulated from the input terminal, since it is in the input circuit to the circuit breaker rather than being in contact with the output circuit from he circuit breaker as was the case in the above-mentioned patent, which construction required that the rear wall of the circuit breaker housing be provided with means to insulate the operating spring from the input terminal.

FIG. 3 illustrates an alternate circuit breaker which has means for securing the device to a cigar lighter holder or other electrical device to be protected. It may be as a whole removable and replaceable on a cigar lighter holder or other device. In this embodiment the circuit -breaker is enclosed within a housing 132 which is substantially identical to that described above from the insulating disc 136 to the inturned flange 138. However, the eyelet 42 of the previous embodiment has been replaced with an eyelet 142 which is spun over Within the circuit breaker housing, but has an externally threaded portion 143 which is adapted to be engaged with the internally threaded portion of a similar eyelet (not shown) secured to the device to be protected. The eyelet 142 has a radially extending flange 144 so that the several parts enumerated above may be clinched between it and the spun over end 172 of the eyelet 142. The insulating washer is provided with a U-shaped terminus 171 so as to effectively insulate the flange 144 on the eyelet 142 from the inturned fiange 138 of the circuit breaker housing. This construction facilitates replacement of the circuit breaker in the event that the latter should become damaged or otherwise inoperable.

It will now be apparent, from the foregoing, that there is provided a cigar lighter having a greatly improved resettable circuit Ibreaker incorporated therewith. Good electrical contact is insured at all times by virtue of the bimetallic spring 54 being interposed between the input terminal 30 and the movable contact member 48. A positive electric circuit is also assured between the latching fingers 60 and the contact fingers 28 in the Well and by mounting the bimetallic latching fingers 60 on the eyelet 42 connecting directly with the contact fingers 28, a greatly simplified construction is achieved, since the circuit opening spring 54 need not be insulated from the inputterminal 30. Thus a longer lasting and more efficient circuit breaker is achieved through simplified and less costly construction.

Variations and modifications may be made within the scope of the claims and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

I claim:

1. A holder for the igniting unit of an electric cigar lighter comprising an elongate hollow well open at one end and adapted to removably support an igniting unit therein, said well having support means therein, heat responsive electric contact means mounted in the well on said support means and adapted to engage the inner end of the igniting unit for making electric contact therewith when the igniting unit is to be energized and for opening said electric contact when the ignting unit reaches a normal operating temperature, electric input means mounted on the well but insulated therefrom and adapted to be connected to a source of electric current, and circuit breaker means interposed, and normally establishing an electric circuit, between the input means and the contact means in the well, said circuit breaker means comprising a movably mounted contact member electrically connected to said input means, means normally urging said contact member in one direction of movement, heat responsive electrically conductive latching means electrically connected to said contact means in the well, said latching means normally engaging said movable contact member in a closed circuit position and being responsive to temperature in excess of said normal operating temperature to release said contact member for movement to an open circuit position under the action of said urging means, and means accessible through the open end of the well when the igniting unit is removed therefrom for moving said contact member in the opposite direction back into engagement with said latching means to reset the circuit breaker when said excessive temperature is dissipated.

2. A holder according to claim 1 wherein said means urging the contact member comprises spring means interposed between the input means and the contact member normally urging said contact member away from said latching means, said spring means constituting the electrical connection between said contact member and said input means.

3. A holder according to claim 2 wherein said spring means comprises a bimetallic coil spring having a copperclad steel core.

4. A holder according to claim 1 wherein the means accessible through the open end of the well for moving the contact member comprises a plunger slidably carried by said support means in the well and having a portion abutting said contact member, said plunger being accessible through the open end of the well for engagement with a hand-held means for moving said plunger and said contact member in a direction against said urging means to reengage said contact member with said latching means after the latter has operated to release said contact member.

5. A holder according to claim 4 wherein said plunger is formed of an electrically insulating material whereby said plunger is not in the electric circuit between said input means and said contact means in the well in either said circuit making or circuit breaking positions of said contact member.

6. A holder according to claim 1 wherein said bimetallic latching means comprises a plurality of latching fingers xedly secured to said mounting means in the Well, said latching fingers extending axially away from said mounting means and terminating in latching hooks, and wherein said contact member is substantially cupshaped having a peripheral radially outwardly protruding lip positioned for engagement by said latching hooks, said latching fingers being biased radially inwardly to hold said contact member in said closed circuit position and being responsive to temperatures in excess of said normal operating temperature to move radially outwardly to disengage from said peripheral lip to release said cup-shaped contact member.

7. A holder according to claim 6 wherein said means urging the contact member comprises spring means interposed between the input means and said cup-shaped Contact member and normally urging the latter away from the latching hooks on said latching tingers, said spring means constituting the electrical connection between said cup-shaped member and said input means.

8. A holder according to claim 7 wherein the well includes an insulating disc carried on the axial inner end of the well, said input means being mounted on said insulating disc, and wherein said spring means comprises a coil spring having one end seated in a recess in said cup-shaped contact member and the other end abutting said input means.

9. A circuit breaker adapted for connection to a current consuming device comprising a housing having a hollow enclosure and spaced parallel first and second end walls, said iirst end wall being formed of electrically insulating material, electric input means mounted 0n said iirst end wall having means for connection to a source of electric current, tubular attaching means mounted on the second end wall for attaching said enclosure to a current consuming device, a movably mounted contact member Within said enclosure and electrically connected to said input means and having a cup, a coil spring having one end seated in said cup and the other end engaging the input means for normally urging said contact member in one direction of the second wall, said coil spring constituting the primary electrical connection between said input means and the cup of said contact means, heat responsive electrically conductive bimetallic latching means in said enclosure and electrically connected to said tubular attaching means, said latching means normally engaging said contact member in a closed circuit position and being responsive to temperature in excess of a predetermined maximum temperature to release said contact member for movement in the direction of the second Wall to an open circuit position under the action of said coil spring, and electrically non-conductive reset means accessible from the exterior of the housing through said tubular attaching means for moving said cup against the tension of said coil spring in the direction back toward said second wall into engagement with said latching means to reset the circuit breaker when said excessive temperature is reduced to below said maximum.

10. A circuit breaker according to claim 9 in which the coil spring is formed of copper-clad steel wire whereby the spring is mechanically strong and has good electrical conductivity.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 26,316 12/1967 Horwitt 219-265 2,704,318 3/1955 Jorgensen et al. 219-264 2,778,915 1/1957 Jorgensen 219-270 3,238,353 3/1966 Lybrook 219-265 3,330,937 7/1967 Horwatt 219-265 VOLODYMYR Y. MAYEWSKY, Primary Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R. 

